Thompson: States Should Have The Freedom To Institute Gay Marriage

Former Senator Fred Thompson (R) is campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination as the "authentic conservative." He was widely hailed as the savior of the GOP field, which had been dominated by Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney, both of whom were elected to office in very liberal states, New York and Massachusetts, respectively. However, he has disappointed the GOP's conservative base with a lethargic campaign riddled with missteps. His appearance today on NBC's Meet the Press, with Tim Russert, will do nothing to assuage their concerns. Thompson made clear that while he personally opposed gay marriage, if a state's legislature and governor made it legal he would respect that state's decision. Thompson also condemned the federal government's intervention into the Terry Schiavo case, an intervention that social conservatives strongly supported.

Watch the video of Thompson on NBC's Meet the Press below:

Comments

[Fairfax]

08:17 AM on 11/05/2007

Excuse me, Mr Thompson, I bellieve that the states already DO have this freedom.

[Steamboater]

10:01 PM on 11/04/2007

Sure, leave it up to he states and no gay marriage passes in the entire south and a hell of a lot of the rest of the country. Thompson is lazy. He doesn't want to commit himself to supporting gay marriage so he shrugs off any real leadership on the issue and therefore leaves the federal government out of it, the only avenue for gay marrriage to have any real success with.

[Jimmyboyo]

09:06 PM on 11/04/2007

3..............2......................1........

repub heads explode across america

:-)

[shag11]

08:42 PM on 11/04/2007

He's really fucked up now.

[NewAgeGOP]

08:39 PM on 11/04/2007

I read this glorious and thoughtful site to appreciate the tempered and considered intellect of it's readers. No one quite distorts reality like the leftists.

Listen I'll try to explain this whole "Southern Conspiricy" we like to call federalism. This right wing nugget is deeply hidden in the Constitution. If you have a copy take off all the sticky notes you've put on it. It's part of the "original" document which if I recall correctly was in fact written before the Civil War.

Now grasp this. If federalism/states rights were adopted, everyone could be happy. You could live in the land of transgendered polygamy, be chemically enhanced, exist carbon free, die humanistically enlighted, perform legal abortions till the 52 trimester, and be treated to the best universal health care your state can provide. All you have to do is agree to let me live in a different state with different views.

If you don't insist on winner take all federal power, neither will I. Why federalism isn't a non-partisian issue is beyond me. The federal politicians are screwing both of us by dictating to the states. Can't we all just get along, by agreeing to live in separate states?

[siri2k]

08:08 PM on 11/04/2007

TALK ABOUT PANCAKE MAKEUP!!!!
sheeeeeesh.
What morgue did him up for Timmeh?
[e-mail]
www.legitgov.org

[StillAmused]

07:38 PM on 11/04/2007

Gee... I don't understand. I watched ol' Fred, certainly a likeable coot, but there was all this...

... wait, it's coming to me --

... uh, uh --

Oh, yeah!

N-U-A-N-C-E!!

On everything from Iran to abortion to gay marriage to waterboarding, ol' Fred had these finely articulated, multidimensional, polygonal positions.

... and Tubby just sat there with his fat thumb in his ear, manifesting none of that 'spunk' he showed when he was trying to corral Hillary during the debate.

"I hate spunk." -- Lou Grant

[eddiestardust]

07:34 PM on 11/04/2007

I watched him this morning.

States already have the right to regulate marriage period.

I will say this again...

States ALREADY have the right to regulate or rule on who gets married.

[rpence]

07:21 PM on 11/04/2007

Yes, Fraud Thompson is a mush-mouthed, shit-for-brains slacker. But he also, according to polls, still is running second to Giuliani.

Think of that. Substantial numbers of Americans are willing to go beyond entertaining the thought of putting our future in the hands of this zero. They are IMPRESSED with this slug.

Yeah, he probably will not get nominated. But there's still a possibility. Until that possibility is utterly eliminated, let's not take anything for granted and let's take no prisoners in this election.

[Giordano Bruno]

06:23 PM on 11/04/2007

Let me see, let's go back to 1956. Which states would have voted for complete civil rights for African Americans?

If Mr. Thompson wants to leave it up to the voters, how is he different from Arnold? Arnold also believes it is up to the states, and the states leave it up to the voters, and until the prejudiced old farts who would deny gay people their civil liberties die off, it will a long wait for this one minority group in which it is still legal to discriminate.

Mr. Thompson is into followership rather than leadership, and this states rights concept is as tired as it is old. Giordy

[DHeil]

05:36 PM on 11/04/2007

Bye, Bye, Frederick,

Watched him on MTP this afternoon via internet (skipped the commercials). While Fred came across fairly level headed in his southern charm style, he admitted to being pro-choice on abortion, and accepting of gay rights. Evangevotes? Goodbye.

Fred said he is pro-life in his voting record, but he would not be for telling states to pass abortion laws or not. That's pro-choice. He said he could not see bringing charges against young women, their parents or their doctors for abortion. That's pro-choice. In essence, he said he's personally not for abortion, but he wouldn't tell others they couldn't receive abortions. That's pro-choice.

Quite a revealing interview with repub ass-kisser, Russert. But his candidacy is finished after today.

[Tom95134]

05:26 PM on 11/04/2007

This should sink him with the religious reich. Either Thompson has no idea what the Constitution has to say about honoring contracts across state lines or he was asleep (as usual).

It will be interesting to see him riding the bicycle backwards (backpeddling) to try to stuff this gene back into the bottle.

[GoodWillHumping]

05:14 PM on 11/04/2007

Nixon had him pegged.

[groucho]

04:19 PM on 11/04/2007

Why is this guy getting air time? go back to your nap old boy, you're a stupid boob.

[Quaoar]

04:02 PM on 11/04/2007

Republicans were for states' rights before they were against them.